Epidermal Electronics and Implantable Devices

A special issue of Biosensors (ISSN 2079-6374). This special issue belongs to the section "Wearable Biosensors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2024) | Viewed by 12073

Special Issue Editors

School of Chips, XJTLU Entrepreneur College (Taicang), Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou 215400, China
Interests: neuromorphic devices; flexible sensors
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School of Advanced Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong–Liverpool University, Suzhou 21500, China
Interests: robotics and automation at microscale; microfluidic nano-biosensors
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School of Intelligent Manufacturing and Ecosystem, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou 215123, China
Interests: data driven; big data; AI; signal processing; human–machine interaction

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Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Interests: haptic interface; epidermal electronics; soft robotics; biomedical devices; human-machine interaction

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Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical & Materials Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5B9, Canada
Interests: carbon based electronics; bioelectronics; laser material processing; soft actuators; micro-optical transducers; light driven micromachines
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Epidermal electronics and implantable devices are two typical categories of flexible electronics that can be conformable with human skin and organs, enabling the continuous monitoring of physiological signals. These devices show great potential in point-of-care testing, intelligent diagnosis, and human–machine interaction. In addition, the fusion of the flexible electronics, memory and processing unit into one device will drive the existing sensory systems from sensing to perception, which will contribute to a revolution in these areas. However, due to issues in the stability, integration, and multi-functionality of flexible devices, there are still great challenges in the realization of the long-term acquisition of the signals. The storage and processing functions are usually absent in most of the existing flexible sensory systems. Therefore, this Special Issue, “Epidermal Electronics and Implantable Devices”, focuses on the recent advances in flexible and stretchable electronics, the fabrication techniques of flexible devices, the integration of multi-model sensory systems, the application of the devices and systems in healthcare, flexible electronics in smart medical systems with AI, and in sensor computing for human–machine interface.

Dr. Qifeng Lu
Dr. Pengfei Song
Dr. Yi Chen
Dr. Dengfeng Li
Prof. Dr. George K. Knopf
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • healthcare
  • point-of-care testing
  • intelligent sensory system
  • human–machine interface
  • smart medical system
  • in-sensor computing

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Review

29 pages, 14189 KiB  
Review
Electric Double Layer Based Epidermal Electronics for Healthcare and Human-Machine Interface
by Yuan Gao, Hanchu Zhang, Bowen Song, Chun Zhao and Qifeng Lu
Biosensors 2023, 13(8), 787; https://doi.org/10.3390/bios13080787 - 3 Aug 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2700
Abstract
Epidermal electronics, an emerging interdisciplinary field, is advancing the development of flexible devices that can seamlessly integrate with the skin. These devices, especially Electric Double Layer (EDL)-based sensors, overcome the limitations of conventional electronic devices, offering high sensitivity, rapid response, and excellent stability. [...] Read more.
Epidermal electronics, an emerging interdisciplinary field, is advancing the development of flexible devices that can seamlessly integrate with the skin. These devices, especially Electric Double Layer (EDL)-based sensors, overcome the limitations of conventional electronic devices, offering high sensitivity, rapid response, and excellent stability. Especially, Electric Double Layer (EDL)-based epidermal sensors show great potential in the application of wearable electronics to detect biological signals due to their high sensitivity, fast response, and excellent stability. The advantages can be attributed to the biocompatibility of the materials, the flexibility of the devices, and the large capacitance due to the EDL effect. Furthermore, we discuss the potential of EDL epidermal electronics as wearable sensors for health monitoring and wound healing. These devices can analyze various biofluids, offering real-time feedback on parameters like pH, temperature, glucose, lactate, and oxygen levels, which aids in accurate diagnosis and effective treatment. Beyond healthcare, we explore the role of EDL epidermal electronics in human-machine interaction, particularly their application in prosthetics and pressure-sensing robots. By mimicking the flexibility and sensitivity of human skin, these devices enhance the functionality and user experience of these systems. This review summarizes the latest advancements in EDL-based epidermal electronic devices, offering a perspective for future research in this rapidly evolving field. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Epidermal Electronics and Implantable Devices)
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55 pages, 5748 KiB  
Review
A Review of Epidermal Flexible Pressure Sensing Arrays
by Xueli Nan, Zhikuan Xu, Xinxin Cao, Jinjin Hao, Xin Wang, Qikai Duan, Guirong Wu, Liangwei Hu, Yunlong Zhao, Zekun Yang and Libo Gao
Biosensors 2023, 13(6), 656; https://doi.org/10.3390/bios13060656 - 15 Jun 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4076
Abstract
In recent years, flexible pressure sensing arrays applied in medical monitoring, human-machine interaction, and the Internet of Things have received a lot of attention for their excellent performance. Epidermal sensing arrays can enable the sensing of physiological information, pressure, and other information such [...] Read more.
In recent years, flexible pressure sensing arrays applied in medical monitoring, human-machine interaction, and the Internet of Things have received a lot of attention for their excellent performance. Epidermal sensing arrays can enable the sensing of physiological information, pressure, and other information such as haptics, providing new avenues for the development of wearable devices. This paper reviews the recent research progress on epidermal flexible pressure sensing arrays. Firstly, the fantastic performance materials currently used to prepare flexible pressure sensing arrays are outlined in terms of substrate layer, electrode layer, and sensitive layer. In addition, the general fabrication processes of the materials are summarized, including three-dimensional (3D) printing, screen printing, and laser engraving. Subsequently, the electrode layer structures and sensitive layer microstructures used to further improve the performance design of sensing arrays are discussed based on the limitations of the materials. Furthermore, we present recent advances in the application of fantastic-performance epidermal flexible pressure sensing arrays and their integration with back-end circuits. Finally, the potential challenges and development prospects of flexible pressure sensing arrays are discussed in a comprehensive manner. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Epidermal Electronics and Implantable Devices)
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23 pages, 5671 KiB  
Review
Recent Progress of Biomaterials-Based Epidermal Electronics for Healthcare Monitoring and Human–Machine Interaction
by Ningning Han, Xin Yao, Yifan Wang, Wenhao Huang, Mengjuan Niu, Pengcheng Zhu and Yanchao Mao
Biosensors 2023, 13(3), 393; https://doi.org/10.3390/bios13030393 - 17 Mar 2023
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3490
Abstract
Epidermal electronics offer an important platform for various on-skin applications including electrophysiological signals monitoring and human–machine interactions (HMI), due to their unique advantages of intrinsic softness and conformal interfaces with skin. The widely used nondegradable synthetic materials may produce massive electronic waste to [...] Read more.
Epidermal electronics offer an important platform for various on-skin applications including electrophysiological signals monitoring and human–machine interactions (HMI), due to their unique advantages of intrinsic softness and conformal interfaces with skin. The widely used nondegradable synthetic materials may produce massive electronic waste to the ecosystem and bring safety issues to human skin. However, biomaterials extracted from nature are promising to act as a substitute material for the construction of epidermal electronics, owing to their diverse characteristics of biocompatibility, biodegradability, sustainability, low cost and natural abundance. Therefore, the development of natural biomaterials holds great prospects for advancement of high-performance sustainable epidermal electronics. Here, we review the recent development on different types of biomaterials including proteins and polysaccharides for multifunctional epidermal electronics. Subsequently, the applications of biomaterials-based epidermal electronics in electrophysiological monitoring and HMI are discussed, respectively. Finally, the development situation and future prospects of biomaterials-based epidermal electronics are summarized. We expect that this review can provide some inspirations for the development of future, sustainable, biomaterials-based epidermal electronics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Epidermal Electronics and Implantable Devices)
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